| comma tract of Schultze | A compact bundle composed of descending branches of posterior root fibres located near the border between the fasciculi gracilis and cuneatus of the cervical and thoracic spinal cord; it corresponds to the septomarginal fasciculus, Hoche's tract, or oval area of Flechsig in the lumbar, and to the triangle of Philippe-Gombault in the sacral spinal segments; like these, it can be demonstrated only in cases of demyelination resulting from dorsal root lesions. Synonym: fasciculus semilunaris, fasciculus interfascicularis, comma bundle of Schultze, comma tract of Schultze, interfascicular fasciculus. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| commando operation | An operation for malignant tumours of the floor of the oral cavity, involving resection of portions of the mandible in continuity with the oral lesion and radical neck dissection. Synonym: commando operation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| commando procedure | An operation for malignant tumours of the floor of the oral cavity, involving resection of portions of the mandible in continuity with the oral lesion and radical neck dissection. Synonym: commando operation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| commemorative sign | A phenomenon pointing to the previous existence of some disease other than the one present at the time. (05 Mar 2000) |
| commensal | 1. <biology> Living on or within another organism and deriving benefit without injuring or benefiting the other individual. 2. An organism living on or within another, but not causing injury to the host. (18 Nov 1997) |
| commensal parasite | See: commensal. (05 Mar 2000) |
| commensalism | <biology> A type of symbiosis where two (or more) organisms from different species live in close proximity to one another, in which one member is unaffected by the relationship and the other benefits from it. (09 Oct 1997) |
| comment | A critical or explanatory note written to discuss, support, or dispute an article or other presentation previously published. It may take the form of an article, letter, editorial, etc. It appears in publications under a variety of names: comment, commentary, editorial comment, viewpoint, etc. (12 Dec 1998) |
| commerce | The interchange of goods or commodities, especially on a large scale, between different countries or between populations within the same country. It includes trade (the buying, selling, or exchanging of commodities, whether wholesale or retail) and business (the purchase and sale of goods to make a profit). (12 Dec 1998) |
| commercial forest land | Forested land which is capable of producing new growth at a minimum rate of 20 cubic feet per acre/per year, excluding lands withdrawn from timber production by statute or administrative regulation. (05 Dec 1998) |
| comminuted | Broken into several pieces; denoting especially a fractured bone. Origin: L. Com-minuo, pp. -minutus, to make smaller, break into pieces, fr. Minor, less (05 Mar 2000) |
| comminuted fracture | A fracture in which the bone is broken into pieces. (05 Mar 2000) |
| comminuted skull fracture | A fracture of the skull with fragmentation of bone. (05 Mar 2000) |
| comminution | <chemistry> The process of grinding or crushing a solid into fine particles. (09 Oct 1997) |
| commission on professional and hospital activities | The non-profit, non-governmental organization which collects, processes, and distributes data on hospital use. Two programs of the commission are the professional activity study and the medical audit program. (12 Dec 1998) |